The Dancings!

Before I blog on our Christmas festivities, I have to tell you about something WONDERFUL that has happened in the past couple of days.

Let me preface this with the fact that I have been VERY patient the last few (years) with the snoring. Up until about 3 months ago, I very rarely kicked Bradley out of the bed. But, lately, it's just gotten to the point where I can't be nice anymore. My poor husband has slept out on the couch more in the last few weeks than in our entire 10 years of marriage, and not because he is in the "dog house." His snorning can
peel.
paint.
off.
the.
walls!!

So, last night on my way to a drive-thru dinner of I know, I know, NOT nutritious, but OH, so yummy!!!


I stopped by the CVS pharmacy to get some earplugs and look for something to help the snoring! After much looking, I found this:
Evidently, you put this nose ring in your septum, and the magnets attached magically make you stop snoring.

I also picked up some of these fabulous earplugs, and an US weekly (I'm a sucker for trashy magazines)

So, I took it all home. When it was time for bed, Bradley and I began our normal nighttime ritual, and then we began the new one: Nose ring for Bradley, yellow and pink earplugs for Lauren. We looked at each other and started cracking up! Nothing like true love to keep you both in the bed together...we'll try anything!

Okay, so let me just say...in the midst of a sick 21 month old who was up all night, that nose ring WORKS! Hallelujah! For all those wives out there who are at their wits end, go to CVS and get this contraption...it helps A LOT. If your husband has sleep apnea, you might be out of luck, and if you can figure out how to get him to the doctor, and to wear the sleep machine, you are a better wife than I, and you need to blog about how you have that kind of control...

Anyway, check it out. I am sooooooooo excited! Life is good!

We are soooo excited about this Christmas! We made a pact to avoid the normal craziness, and we are now to the 22nd of December, and I think we might just pull it off! Very small focus on the material "stuff", very large focus on our sweet little family, and the true meaning of Christmas. I am looking forward to it all. We went to church on Sunday, and Braelin sang with her Primary and I sang in the ward choir. It was nice. After church, we attempted some "we have perfect children" photos in their red dresses...note to self: don't try and take pictures after church. Everyone is tired and hungry, and they pretty much hate that you are doing this to them before they eat. Bradley threatened Braelin within an inch of her life, and we got a couple of decent ones. I really should put her sour faces on here for posterity, but I really do want everyone to "think" I have perfect children.

Tonight we are making the rounds to deliver our Christmas gift. I spent some time recording 5 Christmas Carols at a studio to send to friends and family. It was so fun to be recording again. But, it's also expensive. I gave myself 2 hours of studio time to record 5 songs. Not nearly enough time to get it all perfect, but other than a couple of notes here and there that make me go "hmmmm", it turned out to be a really fun project, even if I can hear myself breathing way too much. I need to spend some time getting my voice back into shape...not to mention many other areas of my body. I practiced in the car while commuting to work, and by the time I was ready to record, my voice was tapped out! I used to be able to sing for hours with no strain at all, this time I was really feelin' it. But, nevertheless, it ended up serving the correct purpose. Mom cried today when she got the CD...she hasn't heard me sing for a couple years now, and really, the CD was more for her and Dad than anyone else. Did I mention how much I love my mom and dad?

They are so great, and such a support to me and my family and all we do! It's so nice to know that I can still call my mom whenever I want to and she will support me and love me no matter what.

Anyway, I will blog after Christmas and let you know how everything goes. I am wishing for all those that I love a very merry Christmas and the best new year YET!

I am going through withdrawls....why did I have to fall in love with such an expensive hobby? I want to see that water again...the color of which there are NO words!

I love everything about Scuba Diving.
I love the fact that it is the one thing that Bradley and I both enjoy doing together, that we are both really good at!
I love getting up early (yes, that's right) to meet the boat...
I love all the different type people you meet.
I love the preparation and the boat ride out to the dive site.
I love speaking Spanish to all the dive masters and boat help.
I love hearing about all of the different experiences people have had.
I love the smell and taste of the salty air.
I love the weight of the oxygen tank on my back.
I love free falling backwards into the water.

But mostly....

I LOVE being under the water! It is so peaceful and serene. The gurgling sounds of the water and your breathing are hypnotic. The colors of the fish and coral is astounding. It's like another life that exists that you never knew about, except that for 30 minutes, you get to be privy to everything that is going on in it. Other than the fact that sometimes you get stuck on a boat with some old guy in a speedo (eewww!), there really isn't anywhere else I'd rather be.

I can't wait until my girls are old enough to go with us. They are both already fish, so it's pretty much a slam dunk that they are going to love it as much as we do.

I am secretly hoping that things kind of go to pot here with this "new" administration, and that I might have to go all ex-patriot and end up in Cozumel or Roatan. Absolutely fine by me!